Double IPA

A: Bold aroma of tangerine at first sniff. After a minute or two, you can also detect a small amount of mango or papaya. Simple but elegant.

S: Crystal-bright honey gold body, and a bone collar of dense foam on top. The head builds, the recedes quickly to a closely hugging ring of suds and a wash of microscopic bubbles in the center. Tiny bubbles drift to the top of the glass. Big bands of lacing.

T: After an initial blast of tangerine and citrus hoppiness, the malt emerges as white-bread crust and just a touch of caramel and molasses. Brief sweetness. The hops come in again at the end providing fruitiness and bitterness with an added pine.

F: Fine carbonation, medium-plus body. Oily and slick on the palate. Long, drying and bitter finish. Despite the 9%+ abv, no real sign of the alcohol via flavor or aroma.

O: Aggressively hopped and flavorful. Excellent aroma and just enough sweetness from the malt to provide a counterbalance. However, the hops and bitterness win out. Neat variation on the popular “drink it while its fresh” series by Stone.

S: Hazy, lemon-gold body with a frothy white head. Great retention, and thin, consistent rings of lacing. It recedes to a gentle wash of suds on top, and though translucent and not transparent, carbonation activity is easily observed. Also, there is a thin layer of yeast in the base of the bottle, so pour carefully.

A: At first impression, one gets a bright lemon citrus and pine front. Added to this is just the slightest twinge of funk, barely there, hiding in the background. Could it be the yeast or the wheat? The malt aroma is very muted, but clean and water-cracker like.

T: Up front, it’s a big dose of lemon and grapefruit bitterness. A sweet malt note shows up briefly mid-palate, but the finish gives way to a roar of more hops. Dry, bitter, clean, brisk… and a touch floral on the end. This is a Double IPA through and through, with flavor squarely in the hop department.

F: Medium-light, with fine carbonation and a rather long finish of pine and citrus. A tad fluffy and creamy.

O: Interesting take on the Double IPA style, with the addition of wheat and oats. Easy to drink, dangerous at 8%, no perceived alcohol from either aroma or taste.

Aroma: A beautiful, heady meld of lime, grapefruit and dank pine resin fill out the hop side, with a clean white bread-crust malt presence and just a touch of prickly booze.

Sight: Largely crystal clear and burnished bronze body showing off subtle No. 2 pencil yellow highlights. The head wells up and sits around, thick and creamy. Lacing is big and patchy, though consistent with every sip. Bubbles purposefully make their way from the bottom of the glass to join their spherical brethren. A large super-continent of suds covers the surface as the head recedes.

Taste: The hops are the star of this beer, with much of the nose following through to the palate. Bright citrus and melon, and a good helping of sappy pine. There’s a fleeting sweetness from the bready malt. Boy does that exit quickly, making room for a drying, crisp, bitter finish. As the beer warms, the alcohol is more apparent, but considering the abv (11.25%) it’s quite smooth and well-integrated.

Feel: Medium-full, crisp, bitter. for a high-abv IPA, this one has a considerably smooth and creamy mouthfeel. Carbonation is enough to lift the weight of the beer off your tongue, but by no means lively.

Overall: Deceptively smooth and easy to drink for a double, or maybe “triple” IPA. Consider pairing with a Davidoff Millennium Blend cigar. Well-crafted high abv offering.

A: Sweetness and a full waft of watermelon. It’s pleasing to inhale, and smells authentic. clean malt also present, but the fruit aroma certainly overpowers the hops.

S: Golden orange with a thick, persistent beige head. Carbonation activity visible, small bubbles lazily making their way to the top of the glass. Head is thick and creamy, receding slowly. Lacing is regular and bandy.

T: A befuddling blend of watermelon, bitterness, and a touch of malty richness compete for attention. This is exactly what you think it is, a DIPA with watermelon added. There’s definitely traces of both the flesh and a touch of the white almost-rind you encounter if you’re not careful when taking a knife to a wedge. As it approaches room temperature, the hops are more identifiable, countering the fruit with a dose of pine resin.

F: Medium body, with the hallmark oiliness of a DIPA. Though it ends fairly hoppy and bitter, the watermelon carries all the way through to the finish, manifesting itself as a muted version of a watermelon flavored gummy candy (not necessarily a bad thing). Some dryness, just a touch of sweetness.

O: As far as DIPAs go, I’ll stick to traditional renditions. However, if you want a change of pace from your normal routine, pick this up and give it a try.

Suggested food pairing: Um…. spicy Thai food? Easily one of the hardest beers I’ve had to determine a food pairing for- one sip and you might understand why.

S: Crystal clear burnished orange/amber body under a beige head that quickly recedes into a soapy island on top.

A: I got quite a few tropical aromas including mango, guava, melon (my wife said grapefruit) plus a hint of heat and a caramel and toffee sweetness. This brute is also dry-hopped with Amarillo and Chinook hops, what a treat to the nose.

T: Wow! An aggressive bitter hop assault of pine and dryness, and oh… did I say bitter? I’ll chalk this up to the Cascade, CTZ, Summit, Amarillo, and Chinook hop bill. After your senses recover, you can also get a nice sweet caramel to counter the hops from the Caramel malt, and even a touch of fruitcake-y sweetness.

F: Oily, slick, and coating. There’s a prickly carbonation that helps to scrub the palate, easing you into the next sip of this 11.5% abv behemoth. It ends with a bone-dry finish that enables you to go back for more.

O: Crazy, fun, fresh offering at the location. Drink with care and a smile. Reminiscent of an American Barleywine or Strong Ale, because technically, there is no such thing as a “triple IPA” and that’s fine by me. I’ve read other reviews that give this beer such a hard time. Try it fresh from the tap at the Allentown location, you might think about it differently.